2012, May 5

“Truth and Authority Status Quo” by grego

At one time, I was giving a test to elementary school students (4-6th graders). The last question on the listening part of the test was, more or less: “Hi John, this is Dr. Adley. To be healthy, exercise and eat fruit and vegetables regularly. Call me if you have any questions.” There were three pictures to choose from: A)fried chicken, B)a hamburger and soda, and C)fruits and vegetables. Being the evil testgiver I am, I read it correctly the first time, then changed the test question the second and third time to: “Hi John, this is Dr. Adley. To be healthy, exercise and eat ten hamburgers and sodas every day. Call me if you have any questions.”

Ok, I’ll give them some credit, they didn’t all immediately choose B. But in the end, the top testing students—the memorizers and regurgitators, the listen-and-do automatons, the A+ students—all chose B. On the other hand, all the other students chose C. Everyone who chose C laughed at those who chose B; they thought it was outlandish. (Unfortunately, it is those A students who will so easily buy into and become members of mainstream science and mainstream everything else and convince the others that in life, B really is the answer, and everyone needs to listen.)

So we talked about it, and what follows is much of what we talked about:

“I have cancer!” “Here, take some poison!” “Can I do it at home?” “No, I’ll buy it for you–special poison from America, and it only costs $1,000 per shot!” “Great, ok!!”

They were all rolling on the floor laughing by this point. (Actually, the first one was enough… I should have realized that and used another example, right?)

Then I told them, “Don’t laugh, adults do this all the time. They were shocked, then yelled out: “They’re so stupid!” I said, “No, your mommy and daddy do this, you do it, we all do it.”

I told them about how authority controls our lives and our thinking. I asked how many thought the center of the sun was very hot, hotter than the outside. Many raised their hands. I told them about the ongoing argument about this topic. Even if something seems stupid or outlandish, listen a little more to the explanations—there might be something. I told them when things do seem to make sense, to question it. And of course, when things don’t seem to make sense, question them—but be open to what didn’t make sense before arriving at a conclusion.

I told them that taking a test and living are very different. Tests depend on an authority, have a right answer, usually don’t have more than one right answer, don’t have “I don’t know” as a possible answer, often don’t require thinking but memorizing, usually don’t allow questions and discussions, etc.

I reminded them how often I found mistakes in our English books, textbooks, their English-teaching Chinese teachers, etc. and the arguments we had had over them.

“How many planets are there?“ I heard their answers, then told them the correct answer: “we don’t know.” Wow, up until 2006 mainstream science was all on 9, when Pluto got cut. And did Pluto get cut without “a just trial”/ proper reasoning? And is everyone in agreement on that decision? Just because it’s small and other objects are bigger, does that have a bearing on the definition of “planet”? I told them “We don’t know” was the best correct answer for many questions, even some of the ones they see on their tests in school.

I spoke on how the world really works on authority status quo, and how opposed that usually is to exploring truth and finding much better ways and greater understanding. I spoke on supporting arguments.

Laurel Kornfeld – April 5, 2011 at 8:54 pm: “Our solar system does NOT have only eight planets, and it is far more than a minority of scientists who still view Pluto as a planet and a Kuiper Belt Object. The same is true for Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. Only four percent of the IAU voted on this, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. Stern and like-minded scientists favor a broader planet definition that includes any non-self-luminous spheroidal body in orbit around a star. The spherical part is important because objects become spherical when they attain a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium, meaning they are large enough for their own gravity to pull them into a round shape. This is a characteristic of planets and not of shapeless asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects. Pluto meets this criterion and is therefore a planet. Under this definition, our solar system has 13 planets and counting: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.”

Chuck – July 20, 2011 at 12:23 am

Actually Laurel, all of your information is completely incorrect. Pluto is not spherical at all, in any way. Pluto is shaped closer to a cone, but jagged and shapeless. Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris, are all asteroids that were caught by the Sun’s orbit. Pluto also crosses Neptune’s orbit twice a year.

Chris – August 20, 2011 at 5:06 am

@ Chuck – you are wrong in every sense of the word. Pluto is just as round as the Earth is, as are Eris, Ceres, and the other 2 that nobody cares about. Pluto is just as much of a planet as Uranus, Mercury, and Earth.

Ali Harb – August 27, 2011 at 12:06 am

In Quraan it is mentioned that there is 11 planets other than Sun and Moon. So definitly there is 11 planets. All human answers are in Quraan but we have to read and know.

miranda england – January 20, 2012 at 3:49 am

There’s 3 things to consider it a planet. Which pluto only meets 1. Yes it orbits the sun no its not sphere and its not able to clear objects from its orbit.

Jeff Coll – January 31, 2012 at 10:19 pm

Pluto should be a planet. I’m just amateur astronomer, but there should be no reason why Pluto should not be included along with the other planets. Pluto has an orbit just like any other planet, however eliptical it may be. yes I agree it is very small but it should not be disqualified as a planet just simply because it does not look like on the other planets and it’s not completely round. if were going to get that technical about planets, then I suggest that we consider the gas giants, which we’re not even sure have any definite planeit structure on the inside, should they be disqualified as planets too? Besides it would confuse all of the first-graders when they are trying to memorize the nine planets. Should we change the rhyme to say my very excellent mother just served us nuts?!!

Belal – February 4, 2012 at 5:10 pm

Hey V Bellator, Ali Harb IS in the right place. I am not sure about the rest of you though. The Quran says there are 10 planets (11 only in Abraham’s dream – Sura 12, the 11th is imaginery).

Gerry Claes – March 28, 2012 at 10:15 pm

There are 8 planets in the solar system (until another planet beyond the Kuiper Belt is discovered). I suggest your read Mike Brown’s excellent book on this subject: “How I killed Pluto and why it had it coming”

Alas Pluto was demoted to the status of Dwarf Planet and therefore there are only 8 planets currently in the solar system. The book gives the logic behind this decision by the IAU.

As one writer also mentioned, what’s the difference between a planet and a dwarf planet–isn’t a dwarf human still a human??

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